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Reaction to the Federal Budget
Opportunity missed to invest in women
By: Sandra Reisch, President, CFUW-Northumberland; Margaret Schroeder, Co-Vice President, CFUW-Northumberland; Jan Howard, Co-Vice President, CFUW-Northumberland
The members of the Canadian federation of University Women (CFUW) have noted with considerable dismay that the recent federal budget has failed to address women's needs in the key areas of Employment Insurance (EI), childcare, pay equity and pension reform.
Despite calls to improve access to EI, over two-thirds of Canadian women continue to be shut out of a program into which they pay. Women make up the majority of part-time and minimum wage earners, a segment of the workforce that is seriously impacted by economic crisis, yet many of these women do not qualify for EI or are forced to live on insufficient benefits. The proposed expert panel on EI is a step in the right direction, but will not help women in the short and medium term.
Much-needed child-care spaces were not included in the budget. While increasing the child tax benefit may help some families, many women find it difficult to access quality child care and when they do, it is a serious financial burden that limits their ability to participate in the workforce. The government has again missed an opportunity to provide economic stimulus through making improvements to social infrastructure and to childcare, actions that would benefit and employ women across the country.
Disturbingly, this budget maintains the government's attack on women's rights to pay equity. This means women will be unable to pursue claims for pay equity at a time when economic pressures mean that millions of families are solely dependent on women's wages.
Tax cuts are no substitute for social infrastructure for the forty percent of women who fall below the lowest income tax bracket. As you are aware, poverty is a sad fact in our county, and women and children are most often affected.
We urge you to help rectify this situation by drawing attention to the importance of investing in women whenever possible. We look to our representative to speak for us in government….
Read the full article
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Budget 2009: Designed to Leave Women Behind Again
From Kathleen Lahey, a Law professor at Queen's University
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Daycare crisis? A single-parent speaks out
CBC News - Citizen Bytes
February 2, 2009
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Effects of Harper’s misguided plan for child care becoming glaringly clear
NUPGE
February 6, 2009
Despite promises by the Harper Conservatives that their child care annual allowance and capital grants to employers would create more than 250,000 child care spaces, the reality appears to be greatly different. Child care advocates are pointing to a growing loss of child care spaces which is making a serious problem for parents even worse.
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Is This What Stephen Harper Means by Choice in Child Care?
CUPE
Feb 6, 2009
Canadian Union of Public Employees released a report card on what this government has achieved on early learning and child care. The report card gives the Harper government a failing grade on providing choice for parents, expanding access to services, provision of public spending and accuracy of reporting. Overall, Prime Minister Harper and his Human Resources Minister Diane Finley got an overall grade of "F".
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Budget 2009 confirms federal government satisfied with Canada’s last-place international ranking on child care
Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada
Jan 27, 2009
Today’s federal budget makes it perfectly clear that the federal government is happy with its last place ranking on the international child care scale. While Federal Budget 2009 specifically earmarks millions of dollars to make our internationally renowned banking system even stronger, it contains nothing to address the internationally recognized crisis in child care services across the country.
“The 2009 federal budget ignores the child care needs of Canadians trying to hold onto jobs and retrain” says Jody Dallaire, Chairperson and New Brunswick Director of the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada. “When you have lost your job and can no longer afford child care to study or look for work, how is a tax cut going to help you? From the United Nations to the OECD, Canada has been repeatedly chastised for its failed child care policies and their impact on women’s equality and healthy child development. And now, it’s more of the same.”
In 2004, the OECD ranked Canada last among developed countries in terms of access to early learning and child care spaces, and last in terms of public investment. The OECD noted that Canadian families pay among the highest child care fees in the world. More recently, Canada tied for last place in the December 2008 UNICEF report card on child care and other family support programs, achieving only one out of ten performance benchmarks.
“Federal budget 2009 does nothing to promote quality, affordable child care services that would help children and families weather the economic crisis” states Dallaire. “And, without child care women cannot fully participate in Canadian society. We call on the Opposition parties to hold this federal government accountable for meeting Canadian families’ child care needs.”
Most countries understand that child care services are critical to a healthy economy. Our future relies on our federal government understanding it too.”
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Federal Budget 2009 and Early Learning and Child Care
CUPE
JANUARY 29, 2009
There is nothing in the 2009 Federal Budget to advance a progressive early learning and child care policy agenda.
What does it mean?
The Harper government’s lack of vision for early learning and child care fails the millions of Canadian families who cannot afford or find quality, affordable child care spaces for their children. Fewer than 20% of children in Canada have access to regulated child care spaces – the vast majority of children have to do without.
Before the Conservative government came to power, Canadians were very close to achieving a national child care program. Instead, Stephen Harper gave us a pitiful monthly allowance – and no new child care spaces. Child Care centres are closing due to a lack of funding, and the profession is losing trained staff because of low wages and poor working conditions.
The Conservative government has turned its back on women and working families. The lack of affordable, quality child care has a direct impact on the ability of working mothers to remain in the paid labour force. Approximately 75% of young mothers with children work outside the home. Many Aboriginal children do not have access to early learning and child care programs. And outside of Quebec, Canadians pay some of the highest child care fees in the world.
Without a cohesive framework and policy on early learning and child care, the Harper government has set out the welcome mat to large corporations to make profits from desperate parents while there is no plan to make programs accessible, available or affordable. Embarrassingly, Canada will remain at the bottom of the heap of all OECD countries when it comes to investing in early learning and child care. We mustn’t forget that the Harper government cut $1 billion that was previously committed to early learning and child care.
What would be better choices?
A better choice would be to develop a pan-Canadian early learning and child care program. Such a program could deliver a framework and conditions that ensure quality, affordable, non-profit, accessible, and inclusive child care programs for parents and their children. Child care requires secure and adequate federal funding with legislation like Bill C303, the Early Learning and Child Care Act, to provide the framework for spending. Bill C303 lays the foundation for a high-quality, universal and accountable child care system. The Bill limits expansion of for-profit child care, a move that protects Canada from international trade disputes and ensures the highest quality care. A better choice for early learning and child care would include the following key elements:
- A national plan to make high quality, non-profit early childhood education and care a reality over the next decade.
- Increased federal funds, starting with an additional $2.2 billion in transfers to provincial child care programs in 2009-10, and $2.8 billion in 2010-11, with the goal of reaching $5 billion by 2013.
- Federal legislation (recognizing Quebec’s distinctiveness) to establish conditions, criteria and principles for the accountable use of federal funds in the provinces and territories.
- Improved maternity/parental leave policy to complement the child care program.
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Federal budget leaves unemployed in the cold
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA)
January 27, 2009
OTTAWA -- Today’s federal budget leaves hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Canadians hanging on a very short rope and won’t provide the immediate stimulus our economy needs, says the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
The budget fails to expand Employment Insurance (EI) to ensure laid-off Canadians are eligible for benefits and its infrastructure promises require the provinces and municipalities to match funding -- a condition that will stall many projects.
“This budget is not equal to the challenges facing the country, nor does it live up to the rhetoric of the Throne Speech delivered only 26 hours before which claimed to protect the vulnerable,” says CCPA Senior Economist Marc Lee.
The omission of major EI reforms in the face of massive unemployment stands as its biggest weakness, says CCPA Senior Economist Armine Yalnizyan.
“Canada is facing a potentially massive wave of economic dislocation as out-of-work Canadians turn to an EI system that is not recession ready,” Yalnizyan says. “Six out of 10 Canadians don’t get EI and everyone agrees that’s a problem, but this government inexplicably decided to ignore the problem – and that will lead to disaster for many.”
Broad-based tax cuts are also a problem, says CCPA Analyst David Macdonald.
“Only 5% of today’s budget is actually devoted to tax measures to help vulnerable low income Canadians,” Macdonald says. “In the coming recession, the government will help you adjust the colour palette of your kitchen, but if you’re poor you’ll be on your own.”
The average Canadian will only get a $300 tax break with low-income Canadians receiving a maximum of only $33, Macdonald says.
Finally, the budget injects much needed infrastructure dollars that could be the engine of job creation. But for every dollar spent in federal infrastructure stimulus, provinces and municipalities must pony up 73 cents for the money to flow -- delaying critical job-creating projects that should be stimulating Canada’s economy this year, not next.
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Federal budget fails women, working people says PSAC
Public Service Alliance of Canada
Jan 28, 2009
OTTAWA, Jan. 28 /CNW Telbec/ - The 166,000 member Public Service Alliance of Canada says the 2009 federal budget infringes on workers' and women's rights, threatening public services at a time when Canadians need them the most.
"This budget fails working people and threatens to undermine the public services that Canadians rely on during a financial crisis of this scale," says John Gordon, PSAC National President. "Cutting taxes will do little to create jobs or help unemployed Canadians. Working people expected more of this budget - and we expect more of our federal government."
According to PSAC, the following features of the budget threaten quality public services and fail working people:
- The proposal to "modernize" the federal pay equity regime would remove women's right to go to court to demand equal pay of equal value.
- Proposed legislation on public sector compensation will likely roll back previously negotiated wage increases - effectively breaking collective agreements for many PSAC workers including those employed by the Canada Revenue Agency.
- An infrastructure spending program that requires provinces and municipalities to contribute 73 cents for every dollar a federal funding will delay critical job creating projects that should be stimulating Canada's economy this year, not next.
- "Band-Aid" changes to the Employment Insurance program do nothing to ensure access to benefits for the 60 per cent of unemployed people in Canada who currently do not qualify for EI - the majority of whom are women.
- The continued emphasis on public-private partnerships for infrastructure projects - including the proposed sell-off of federal assets - will cost the public significantly more money and prove to be much less accountable than publicly-financed ones.
- Billions in tax cuts will do little to stimulate the economy and would be better invested in much-needed public services such as universal child care and pharmacare.
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Federal budget '09
Vancouver Sun
January 28, 2009
REACTION – Selected comments
"What we've heard in this budget is really underwhelming. There's a small increase in infrastructure, there's a small increase in the Canada Summer Jobs program but really not enough to address student debt and tackle unemployment for students."
Katherine Giroux-Bougard, Canadian Federation of Students
"We need to have some assurance that health will remain on the agenda."
Rachel Bard, CEO, Canadian Nurses Association
"If they think that they're going to get away with rolling back our members' wages, they're wrong."
John Gordon, national president Public Service Alliance of Canada
"There's nothing in the budget for women and children. It demonstrates that the government is content with its last-place ranking internationally in terms of child care. Women are entitled to work and to do that they need affordable child care and that wasn't addressed in the budget."
Jody Dallaire, Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada
"Asking municipalities to add new money for infrastructure in 2009 is a tall order. It's not a fast way to put people to work."
Jean Perrault, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities
"The hole in this budget is child care services. For Canadian women and their families, child care is missing, and it is vital."
Paulette Senior, YWCA Canada CEO
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Harper "stimulus" budget falls far short
JANUARY 27, 2009
BY TOBY SANGER
Rabble
…. In particular, the budget fails with any substantial measures to improve public services, help the poor, set a positive new course for the economy, or provide relief for the hundreds of thousands who are expected to become jobless over the next few years.
… But the promised funding for almost of these measures is temporary-for only two years-conditional on other funding, and is much less than what is required. Under the "use it or lose it" rules, the funding for these programs may never be delivered, be cancelled, or returned "insufficient funds". This is a major problem because the impact of this economic crisis on workers and communities will last much longer than two years and so support will be needed further out.
Unfortunately, the budget doesn't include any measures to increase access to Employment Insurance (which only 40% of the unemployed now receive) or EI benefit levels, nothing to strengthen public pensions, no funding for a national anti-poverty plan, and no significant increased investments in social needs such as early learning and childcare, social services or health care.
At the same time, ignoring the advice of virtually every economist in the country, the Harper government is charging ahead with broad-based personal income tax cuts that will cost about $2 billion a year and provide the greatest benefit to those with the highest incomes…
Complete article
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Women and children last: No thank you, Mr Flaherty!
Campaign 2000
January 27, 2009
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